I did that (with a little help)

Just back from the official switching on of our micro-hydro turbine with special guest Roy Noble.  Excellent turn out with a whole raft of people from organisations we have worked with along the way. It has been a long hard struggle through mounds of red tape and interminable grant application forms, but thanks largely to a nice £400,000 grant from the department of that nice Mr Huhne we got there in the end.

Gave me a chance to do something we rarely do enough of in the Valleys - brag about what we have done.  There is a tendency to under play our achievements.  This is something we see a lot in Wales in our schools as much as anywhere, where we have some hugely talented young people who hide on the shadows resulting often in a lack of self-confidence.

There is of course a fine line between confidence and arrogance, but we do need to be more assertive as a nation and as individuals (well some of us do!).

Communities first has come in for a battering, in many case rightly so, but I am proud to say that in Cwmclydach we have got it right.  It is an organisation which is benefitting the community.  We set up a Development Trust which is the ‘business arm’ and through that now own and run a Community Centre and a Day Nursery.  We employ around 20 staff and have been able to offer training opportunities to people via various projects such as the Future Jobs Fund.

Running alongside that there is the Cambrian Village Trust which offers free football coaching to local schools, drew down grants to build a multipurpose all-weather sports facility, and runs the lakeside café bar.  Again this offers local employment and training opportunities.

The amount of money that has been pulled down into this tiny community in the Rhondda Valley is huge - it is almost frightening on the odd occasion when I sit down and actually go over what it is that myself and my fellow Directors are responsible for.

So it was good today to be able to celebrate that and to think that I have been involved in making a difference. 

More rain please

Well the rain has been good for one thing – it has given a boost to my micro=hydro generator.  I say mine, it isn’t of course strictly speaking just mine, but it does belong to the Development Trust I Chair and so I think a degree of ownership rights must come my way.

It has been a bit of a struggle to get it up and running, it has been years in the planning, and on several occasions we could have given up but we’re hardy souls in Clydach Vale.  Thanks to £400,000 form that nice Mr Huhne and DECC we are now the proud owners of a turbine, a turbine house, and a fair amount of piping!

The money generated will help to ensure the sustainability of the Trust which runs the local community centre and the Sunshine Corner Day Nursery.  We employ around 20 people and a substantial amount of money has been brought in via grants.

The Trust grew out of the Cwmclydach Communities First which is without doubt one of the most successful schemes in Wales.  Communities First is due to come to an end on 2012 – it will be interesting to see what if anything is put in its place.  Where it has failed to engage with the local community and get to grips with what it was set up to do then the whole scheme has been a huge waste of public money.  It cannot continue as it has.  However, where it has worked then care should be taken not to undermine the good work that has gone on.